Travel case



l. W. ROSENTHAL TRAVEL CASE Filed Nov. 12,- 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 grime/Wto@ f. W .Fase/Hwa] Patented May 4, 1943 UNlTED STATES PATENT lOFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to luggage, and has for its primary object the provision of a travel case of such length and breadth dimensions that it is large enough to receive a mans suit draped on a clothes hanger, folded once transversely, and without resorting to wrinkle-producing expedients to get it into the case, such as crowding,V

oonstricting or folding over lateral portions of the suit, or in any way disturbing the freely assumed suspended disposition of the suit.

A travel case of such size, conventionally constructed would be inordinately heavy, and so another object of the invention is to construct the' case of covering material so light as to be nonself-shape-sustaining, necessitating the employment of a frame providing rigid shape-delining corner edge members.

A'further object of the invention is to provide an apparel frame preferably shaped to t about the inner periphery of the travel case, carrying a clothes hanger upon which the suit is draped preliminary to its being placed into the travel case, and which by inversion of the frame is folded once transversely without disturbing the smooth naturally assumed attitude of the suit, said frame being employed in combination with flatly disposed transverse retaining means on opposite sides of the frame for holding the once-folded suit in position upon the frame.

Still another object of the'invention lis to provide'an apparel frame of the type described, in combination with auxiliary hanger bars for womens apparel, which when used in plurality. may be nested, and which permit both mens andA womens garments to be initially suspended, then folded over about the frame by inverting it, then held in once-folded position by the transversel retaining means, after whichthe frame with the garments may be put into the travel case or removed therefrom vwithout the risk of disturbing the smooth and correct arrangement of the Figure 3 is a perspective view of the self-shapesustaining frame;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the clothes frame showing a coat in its normal suspended position;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the clothes frame in inverted position showing the coat automatically once-folded, and with the retaining means in place;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the clothes frame showing the auxiliary hanger bars with a skirt in suspended position on one of said bars; Figure '7 is a perspective view of the hanger bars, and showing a womans dress draped on one bar, preparatory to inverting the frame;

Figure S is a viewA similar to Figure 6,`showing theclothes frame in inverted position, the skirtv automatically once-folded, and the retaining means in place.

One of the objections to a conventional travel case is that it is so sized and shaped thatit is impossible to pack a mans suit therein, without;v

drapes itself when freely suspended upon a` clothes hangerexcepting thatit is once folded transversely, the folding being accomplished in such a manner as to avoid disturbing the natural hang or position of the suit. Y

` Y The minimum size of the travel case of the present invention is critical as regards the suit or otherapparel which it is designed to contain, Y Y

butif it is designed for childrens clothing it may, of course, be made of smaller sizethan if designed for the clothing of an adult, andstill be vwithin the-scope of the invention.

Y, In Figure 1-, I have shown a travel case consisting of the two parallelepipedalcompart- In the drawingswhich accompany and form-'Wy a part of thefollowing specification; and throughout the several figures of which the same characters of reference have been 'employed to designate identical parts: I i

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a travel'case embodying the principles of the invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse section through the case, the parts being in closed position;

ments l and 2, which as shown are similar in -lengthand breadth dimensions and in generalv construction,each comprising a closed bottom 3 and. 4, closed sides, 5,-6, and T, 8, respectively,

case, for'the reason above set forth, and that if constructed conventionally, it would be inconveniently heavy. Consequently, the inventive concept Vinvolves a construction characterized by-y A suit thus packed inl of said compartments and which spaced rectan-A gular frame members are joined by the perpendicular struts I6 and Il. The rectangular framemembers and struts are preferably of metallic rod construction, the struts being welded to the? Inasmuch as thesheet cover Y i ing material is non-self-shape-sustaining, itis essential that certain of the struts, specifically frame members.

the struts l1, be located so as to define the corner edges I8 and I3 of the respective compartments.

The said compartments are preferably hingedly connected along adjacent top edges, as shown' in Figures l and 2-,by'a bridging web of the ,material which covers the adjacent sides 6 and-.8, and are provided with handles 20 and 20'; Each compartment'is preferably provided with a separator 2l and 22, respectively, of .stiff butlight material,l hingedly connected .to the respective compartments adjacent their.k common hinged connection, bya'. fabric hinge. These separators are omitted; from "Figure Lifor the purpose of avoidinglobscuring the disclosure of thezinterior of the compartment? The case is closed by a slide fastener, 'the hooks'43 ofwhichextend.

The travel caseis preferably furnished withav clothes frame 23, which may be of any suitable construction, but which as shown and preferred,

is' made from a continuous metallic rod shaped to fit about the periphery within the travel case. Said rod comprises the top and bottom bars. 24 and' 25 and theco'nnecting end bars 26 and2'l. The clothes frame is as wide,-between the end bars', as the width of the suit Vin its condition of Y free sus'pensiomwhile the height of the clothes frame between the top and bottom bars is sucient to fully receive the suit when once folded on'both sides of the clothes frame. A clothes hanger 28, which may be of ordinary shape andconstruction, is* attached to the top -bar 24 by means such as the strap 29, and normally hangs in the plane of the clothes frame and within the bounds thereof. To operate this clothes frame, the coat or suit is `first suspended'upon the Vclothes hanger, as shown in Figure 4, Aand then the clothes'frame is invertedto the, position shown in Figure 5, thus once folding the garment about the clothes frame and without disturbing its condition of smooth and correct arrangement.

' Forretaining the garment in once-folded position rupon the clothes frame, lI have provided the retaining means 3|] and 3| which are preferably made of lengths of webbing 32 and which webbing may be of elastic nature. At the ends of the lengths of webbing are the hooked elements 33 adapted 'to lembrace the vend bars 26 and 2l of the clothes'flrame. After the garment has been once-folded about the frame, the -re-l taining members 35 and 3| are put in place, one on each side, and snapped about the end bars, thus holding the apparel against displacement so that the clothes frame with the apparel mounted thereupon may be inserted into the travel case or removed therefrom and placed in a bureau drawer, for example.

Inasmuch as one of the objects of the invention is to provide a travel case which at one and the Sametime may conveniently receive womens as well as mens garments, I provide the auxiliary hanger bars 34 and 35, as shown in Figures 6, '7

i and 8. Each of these hanger bars is preferably formed, as shown in Figure '7, comprising a transverse portion 35 with angularly disposed lends 36 and 31said ends each terminating in a hook 38.' The hooked ends of the hanger bars "areslipped over the top bar 24 of the clothes frame. .p

In order to prevent inadvertent or accidental slippage of the hanger bars laterally from the clothes frame, I have provided the latter with the upstanding bent ears 39and 4B, forming end lugs atithe ends fof thetop bar 24. In employing thehanger bar for; womens clothing, the gar-V ment, `if short, for example a skirt, may be suspended therefrom in any suitable manner as by means of the clothes pins 4I. If long, as in the case of a waist and skirt ensemble, it is :first draped across thechanger bar at the waistline, as shown in Figure 7. In'either instance, the clothes rameistheninverted, the garment occupying latter inverted, once-folding both garments at the same time.

.Figures 6 and 8 show a' plurality of hanger bars, one being nested within the angular Yend portions-A ofthe other, so that more than one womans garment may be packed at one time.

It will'be understood that while in itscpre-Y ferred .embodiment the clothes frame, is` an element in combination 4with ,thev travel casef shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, it has a separate utility of its own, as it may be removedv from the travel case withthe apparel correctlyiand securely arranged thereupon and transferredv to a bureau drawer where it may be kept indenitely,laccording to convenience. The apparel is removed from the clothes. frame by holding the latter in inverted position, removing the retaining bands 38 and 3| and then reverting the frame, whereupon the clothes Will again', be suspended, respectively, from thejclotheshanger and hanger bar or bars and bemin the same original condition of fresh'pressras when i'lrst suspended preparatory to packing. y Y

While I have in the ,Y above description Vd isclosedwhatv l5; believe, to be a preferred"andpracticall embodiment of the invention, it will be understood to those skilled in the art thatthe details of construction andthe arrangement of parts Vas shown and described, are largely by way of example andjnot to bexconstrued as limiting the scope of; the inventioawhich is defined shorter than a skirt or coat, comprising a continuous rectangular member bent from rod material having parallel top and bottom bars and parallel side bars and being the full Width of a skirt or coat when in naturally draped position, said top bar having upstanding ears at the ends, a plurality of hanger bars adapted to suspend articles of apparel, the latter being automatically infolded about said apparel frame by inversion of the latter, each of said bars comprising a transverse portion with angularly disposed ends, each end terminating in a hook, one of said hanger bars being of such Width that its hooks may engage the top bar of the frame adjacent the upstanding. ears whereby lateral movement of said hanger is prevented, successive hanger bars being of successively decreasing width and height whereby the hanger bars may be suspended from the top bar of the frame and nest one Within the other and hang in a common` plane, said hanger bars being held against detachment from said frame by the tension of the infolded apparel, and elastic straps bridging said frame one on each side of the apparel, having means at their ends engaging the opposite side bars and shiftable upwardly or downwardly along said bars.

IRWIN W. ROSENTHAL. 

